


Human

by AnnaDestiny



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, First non humor fic, One Shot, angsty, kudo button is calling you, no humor, well sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-03-06 18:10:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3143738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaDestiny/pseuds/AnnaDestiny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin is tired of the way some of the others treat Eren simply because he's a titan shifter. After one  goes to far, Armin decides he needs to speak up for his friend.</p><p>WARNING: This is my first attempt at writing angst, so please excuse the horribleness. I did try ;-; I'm more of a humor person, so it's not really my forte.<br/> </p><p>AN: This isn't really yaoi, but it is if you squint. For instance, if I continued this, it would probably end up Eremin. Please read and kudos! Oh, and this will most likely be a One Shot, but I might add more chapters if I feel like writing Eremin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human

**Author's Note:**

> I sadly don't own Attack on Titan. If I did, there would be a 100% chance that Marco lives.

**_Cause I'm only Human, and I bleed when I fall down. I'm only Human, and I crash and I break down. Your words in my head, knives in my heart. You build me up and then I fall apart, cause I'm only Human.~ Human by Christina Perri_ **

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Why is he even allowed in our ranks?"

 

"I agree! He could kill us all!"

 

"That 'I'll kill all the titans' sob story is just a bunch of shit!"

Eren sighed as he listened to his so called 'fellow soliders' belittle him. He was pretty used to it; it had started after the day Levi had saved his life by kicking him. He was almost starting to regret that incident. He didn't believe their words, but he didn't really enjoy the fact that he was indeed a titan shifter, yet he wanted to kill them all. It felt as if he couldn't choose a side. It wasn't as if he was killing humans in his titan form; he was actually protecting them by killing the other Titans. 

He was about to stand up and clear his brain of all the insults when a familiar blonde walked over to him, sitting in front of Eren. "Hey Eren!" Armin said in his usual cheerful voice. "Hey." Eren mumbled, instantly regretting it when Armin's face twisted with worry. "You okay?" Eren's green eyes dropped from Armin's bright blue one's. "Yeah, I'm fine." Eren replied, forcing himself to give Armin a cheerful smile. But Armin's face still held worry, and his eyes seemed to look sad or hurt. Eren hoped he hadn't offended or hurt him in any way, he just wasn't in the mode to chat. 

"Look, Armin-"

"They aren't talking about you again, are they?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Armin's hands slammed onto the table, but Eren could tell it wasn't from anger. "Why do you deny it so many times?" Armin's voice was soft and sad, but he still looked frustrated. Eren sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm not a little kid, Armin!" He grunted, equally as frustrated as Armin was. Armin was treating him as if he was a young child being bullied. It wasn't like the words were affecting him, right?

 

* * *

Later that day, Eren walked to his room, or rather His and Armin's room. He assumed Armin was in there and wished to apologize for earlier that day. Armin himself had been bullied beforehand and seemed to really get upset if something similar happened to Eren. Eren raised his fist in front of the wooden door, hesitating to knock. Maybe he should give Armin some time. "No, he might be even more hurt if I don't apologize." Eren decided firmly, then knocked softly on the door about three times. "Come in!" Armin called from the otherside. His cheerfulness made Eren slightly nervous, but he pushed the door open nonetheless.

"Hey Eren!" Armin said cheerfully, acting as if earlier had never taken place. This time, Eren made sure to grin, whether it was half-hearted or not didn't matter. The grin faded when Eren remembered his purpose there. "Armin, look, I'm sorry." Armin looked confused for a moment, then looked at the floor, his hair covering his face. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep trying to pry into your matters." Armin whispered, and to Eren's relief, he didn't sound sad. "Heh, it's not your fault." Eren put his hand on his friend's shoulder in a comforting manner. Armin smiled a bit, but it faded quickly. "Really, Eren, you need to-" Eren shook his head, then grinned. "If I have any more problems, I'll send Mikasa." Both he and Armin laughed as they imagined Mikasa's reaction.

 

* * *

 "Hey Armin, mind if I go out for a walk?" Eren asked quietly, pulling on his boots. Armin shook his head and settled under the covers. Eren opened the wooden door slowly, praying it wouldn't creak like usual. Even the smallest sound was enough to wake everyone else, though whether they would care or be angry wasn't clear.  He strolled past everyone's dorm rooms, his gaze lingering on Mikasa's. He didn't want to tell her about the insults he'd been receiving, and luckily it appeared neither Mikasa nor Armin had noticed the black and blue bruises. Eren healed quickly, but these injuries were fresh. Often, if Eren felt feisty enough to make a smug comment towards one of the many insulting him, he'd get into a fight. Somehow word never reached Mikasa, or Armin. In fact the rest of the Scouting Legion seemed oblivious to what Eren was going through, which secretly pleased him. Finally the cool night air touched Eren's face as he walked to the grassy yard. He remembered standing here with Mikasa and Armin, positive he could kill all the titans and avenge his mother. Eren sighed as he remembered the 'speech' he'd made about killing the titans. That dream seemed so far away now.

 

"Hey!" Eren jumped as he heard a slightly hushed yell come from behind him. It wasn't against anything to go out at night, but it wasn't a wise thing to do. He whipped around, prepared to see a guard, but was surprised when he found it was one of the men from earlier. Ah yes, the one that said he'd kill them all. He didn't know what the man was here for, but he doubted it was simply for a talk. "What?" Eren growled, angry someone had interrupted his walk. The man said nothing, but the silver blade he pulled out did enough talking. Eren's eyes widened, but his face remained in a snarl. He knew people didn't trust him; hell, he doubted anyone did, but try and kill him? That seemed pretty aggressive. The man threw the blade with surprisingly quick aiming. Eren wasn't fast enough to escape the blade's cold steel, but he managed to move just enough so it didn't hit anywhere vital. The man looked disappointed that his attack didn't kill, then smiled and left. For a moment, Eren was confused. Why was he smiling? He hadn't succeeded at all. Then he realized. At the rate the blood was leaking from his shoulder, he'd die of blood loss. Eren gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to cry out, regardless of the trouble he'd get in for waking everyone up. It was probably better than dying.... Or was it? Now that he thought about it, there wasn't really a reason for him to not die. How could he ever live on, knowing he was one in the same with those who had killed his mother? Armin had Mikasa, and Mikasa was strong enough, she wouldn't need him. He noticed a pool of blood forming, and realized it was his own. He managed a angry sigh. He was going to die, and it wasn't even by a titan? How pathetic. He noticed his eye lids trying to give him comfort, inviting him to darkness. He agreed, shutting them, praying for death to come as fast as possible.

 

 

* * *

Armin sat up quickly as if he'd just woken up from a nightmare. Eren. Why wasn't he back? Eren had been taking these night walks frequently, but that didn't mean Armin wasn't worried. He'd stayed out far longer than he usually did. "Maybe I do worry to much..." Armin whispered as he weighed his options. He could either go back to sleep and simply wait for Eren, or he could go see if he needed help or even just a friend. Finally he decided he'd go after Eren. As he walked silently out of their room, he glanced at Mikasa's room, then shook his head. It probably wasn't wisest to alert her if it involved Eren. It could just be a false alarm. He continued walking until he was a good 20 feet away from the dorms. Now he could make a bit more noise. He began running, ignoring the possibility of being stopped by guards. He never understood why they even had guards; it was a bunch of soliders, not a bunch of criminals. His normally happy face scowled at that thought. No, there were criminals among them. He couldn't stand how many times he heard Eren being insulted or put down by many other people. Even the town's people had been whispering rumors about Eren. Armin shook his head, wondering how those Eren protected with his life could treat him that way. He supposed it was embarrassing for Eren to admit to the treatment he was receiving; after all, it was pretty much similar to bullying, and that made it sound like he was a little kid.

Armin didn't care how many times Eren refused it; he was going to help his friend no matter what. He remembered only a short while ago when they were younger, and he'd been bullied due to his love for books and the outside world. Eren had done his best to protect Armin, and Armin was going to do the same. His confidence had been shattered after the many times he'd been left beaten on the side of the road. But Eren had helped him gain it back, helped him believe in himself again. He had to repay Eren by doing the exact same. Finally, he reached the outside. "Eren?" He yelled as loudly as he dared, not wanting to draw attention. He scratched his hair in confusion. He couldn't see the brunette anywhere, yet he was sure Eren always stood here after he ended his walks. He nearly jumped in surprise when he heard a coughing sound, weak and painful, but still audible. He ran towards the sound, the curious side of him showing it's colors. "Oh my-" Armin didn't even let himself finish. There before him was a bleeding, pale, close-to-death Eren. "Eren!" He shouted, immediately hearing sounds of others rushing towards him.

* * *

 

"Uhhhh...." Eren groaned in pain as he came rushing back into the real world. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and even Levi and Commander Erwin stood near his bed. "Eren!" Armin said tearfully, obviously resisting the urge to hug his friend. Mikasa smiled, though her eyes were fueled by rage. Eren winced when he thought of what was going to happen to the guy that had done this to him. "Welcome back, brat." Levi said, his voice void of emotion. Eren was simply happy to know he cared somewhat, so he managed a smile and nodded. "Armin told us he found you bleeding heavily." Jean explained, motioning to Eren's now bandaged shoulder wound. "Who did it?" Mikasa asked, anger starting to find it's way into her normally calm voice. Eren sighed at his adopted sister's protective nature, but didn't see a reason why he shouldn't say anything.

"I don't know his name, but I-" He cut himself off. He knew everyone was expecting him to continue, but he couldn't. "Eren..." Eren looked at Armin along with everyone else. The blonde wasn't crying, but his eyes still contained un-shed tears. "Was this done by...?" He looked at Eren hopefully, begging him to answer the question. Eren nodded, still not meeting Armin's gaze. He really didn't want to meet Mikasa's, considering she'd probably be furious when she found out about his bruises. He was actually surprised no one had brought it up, considering they weren't hidden now that the upper-half of his uniform was off.

"Who?" Mikasa asked again, this time her voice had softened a bit. "It was sort of dark, so I couldn't really see," He swallowed, then continued when Mikasa gave him a look, "but I do remember him from yesterday. He said I planned to kill everyone using my titan form." He explained, wincing once again when Mikasa looked really to kill. "Would you know him if you saw him?" Erwin asked, carefully studying a list of those under his command. Eren hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, probably." He added, making sure to mumble it. "Alright, I'll see what I can do." Erwin nodded at the others, then walked out of the room. Surprisingly, Levi did not follow, he remained leaning against the wall. Eren looked at him for a moment, then looked back at Armin, Mikasa and Jean. He smirked. "Surprised you came horseface. Or was just because Mikasa came?" Jean glared at Eren, but there was a hint of red spreading across his cheeks. Mikasa shook her head, but Armin just laughed along with Eren. Jean refused to laugh, but smiled a little. Levi watched them and a ghost of an emotion flickered across his face. "Brats.." He murmured, though depending on who you asked, they might say there was a hint of fondness.

* * *

"Finally, out of that damn hospital!" Eren cheered, ignoring the slight glare he got from Armin for swearing. Armin was a little careful when it came to words, he never seemed to like swearing. In fact, Eren had never even heard him swear before. "Eren!" a familiar female voice called eagerly. Both boys turned around to see Sasha, holding a half eaten potato in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. "I was asked to give you this!" She panted, hands on her knees as if she'd just run miles. She handed Eren the piece of paper, then rushed off as she chewed on her favorite food.

"What does it say?" Armin questioned curiously. Eren's eyes narrowed a bit at the wording on the paper, but then did a one-sided shrug. "It says I'm wanted in a meeting." He explained, handing the piece of paper to Armin who quickly scanned it, nodding his head as he confirmed what Eren had said. "Think I could come?" Armin asked nervously. He'd never been in a meeting, but he wasn't going to let Eren go alone. Eren nodded his head at his friend's request. There wasn't a reason why Armin couldn't come, so he didn't see any harm.

 

 

Eren slowly opened the meeting room door, ignoring the stares he received. Glancing around the room, he was silently pleased at the fact that Mikasa-and now Armin as well- were there, and he was even glad to see Jean and Levi. The silence was beginning to hurt his ears until Commander Erwin spoke, rising from his sitting position. "Eren..." He trailed off reluctantly, as if the words he was supposed to speak didn't want to come out of his throat. He cleared his throat and continued, "A lot of our soliders here acknowledge you have the ability to become a titan-" 

"So they're afraid?" Eren mumbled softly. Erwin didn't catch anything but the word 'afraid', so he nodded his head. 

"No one can trust a titan!" One solider yelled.

 

"You're just like them!"

 

"How dare you even call yourself a human!"

Eren bowed his head in shame at the accusations, but was startled when he heard a familiar voice cry out, "But that's what he is!" Everyone gasped and turned to face the last person they expected to yell out: Armin. For the first time for many of those in the room, his eyes were lit with anger, his face the same way. "How dare you say he isn't human! _How dare you!_ " Armin yelled once more, not even noticing the surprised faces of Mikasa and Eren.

 

"Eren's just like everyone else! He's a solider, a human! He deserves a place not only here, but in your minds and hearts!" Eren was a little shocked when Armin said that, but he couldn't help but notice the slight smile on Mikasa's face. "He lost his Mother to the titans, and call him one of them?! All he want's to do is prevent other children from having the same fate!" Eren winced slightly when Armin said 'children', but a smile found it's way onto his face when he heard what Armin said next. "He's a _human_ , not a titan! Humans have feelings, hopes, dreams! They have hearts, strengths, weaknesses! They have triumphs, and they have downfalls! And that's why Eren is human! Because he has all of  those things!" Armin's eyes weren't even watering, which was a bit of an odd thing, considering he usually teared up when talking about this kind of thing. He took a deep breath, and turned his head towards Eren, his eyes shining with respect and passion. "Eren, you have my respect as both a soldier, and as a friend." A gentle smile appeared on Mikasa's face when she heard that, a similar one appearing on Eren. For the first time, true emotion found it's way into Eren's eyes. "You're right, Armin." Eren said quietly, all eyes on him as he began to speak. "I couldn't believe I was a titan shifter. I couldn't live with myself; imagining that was one in the same with the thing who'd killed my Mother." Eren's eyes were shining, with tears, happiness, sadness, no one could tell. "But now I see, that I'm not a titan." His bowed head lifted up, facing all of the soliders. His friends, his sister, his commander. "I'm Eren Jaegar, a human being!" Eren was surprised when everyone smiled, even Corporal Levi had a ghost of one on his face. "Yes, you are." Mikasa and Armin said in unison.

* * *

 

 

"Armin, I wanted to thank you." Armin shook his head, but stopped when Eren's eyes met his. "You not only saved my life, but you saved my spirit." He grinned nervously. "That sounds kind of cheesy, but-" Jean slapped Eren on the back, laughing and ignoring the glare from Mikasa (even though her eyes sparkled) and wince from Eren. "You bet it's cheesy! You were always terrible with names, Jaegar." Jean said seriously, a scowl on his face. Eren scoffed at this. "Says horseface." He smirked when he saw Jean beginning to get irritated at Eren's nickname for him. "You're welcome, Eren." Armin said finally, probably trying to prevent a possible scuffle between the two. Eren didn't seem to hear him, he was already fighting Jean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> OMFG I am horrible at writing angst and speeches! XD I hope it wasn't a huge eye sore. Anyways, if you didn't think this story was all that bad please leave kudos! Oh, and I understand that this is bad, but any useless flame comments will be given to Roy from Fullmetal Alchemist to power up his alchemy. ^_^


End file.
